Stop me and buy one

Let’s hear it for the ice cream van and the people behind the cornets and scoops

When Henry VIII wrote Greensleeves for Anne Boleyn in the early 16th century, it was still 150 years before the first British ice cream would be served at Windsor Castle. But the notorious glutton might not have minded that, centuries later, his melody would be synonymous with sticky fingers, dribbly chins and ecstatic faces. Played on tinkling chimes, the love ballad is now an anthem of summer, heralding the arrival of a much-loved icon whose presence can make a child's day and send their parent into a nostalgic reverie.

 

Parked at the seafront, a giddy queue of sandy-footed children tailing behind, the ice cream van is as much a part of the seaside tableau as the pier, the funfair and the fish-and-chip shop. It has been so since the late 1940s, when the proliferation of motorised vans coincided with the post-war boom in seaside holidays.

 

Ice cream trikes and hand carts had plied city streets since the late 19th century, manned by Italian immigrants, who cried "Ecco un poco" (here is a little), using hand and cycle bells to attract customers. Musical chimes were not installed until 1954, when Tonibell (part of Lyons Maid) copied the idea from America. Today, Greensleeves is the second most popular tune in new vans, pipped by the Neopolitan ditty O Sole Mio ("Just one Cornetto").

 

There are around 5,000 ice cream vans on Britain's streets and they face fierce competition from shops. But these institutions will endure because they offer something no other vendor can. "You can see the pleasure on people's faces as they walk away with an ice cream," says Stuart Whitby, managing director of Whitby Morrison, the world's largest van maker. "Nothing can replace that feeling."

 

"This tiny part of the beach at the bottom of the slipway is privately owned - years ago it formed someone's back yard. That's why we are allowed to sell here - the rest of the sands are owned by the local authority, which prohibits trading.  

 

"I like serving ice cream because the customers are always cheerful and chatty. I work 14-hour days in summer, but time zooms along. I particularly enjoy being in the Land Rover on the beach, listening to the sea and the gulls.

 

"At certain times of year, the tide comes in at almost a walking pace, so we have to give ourselves plenty of time to get off the beach. Sometimes, when there is still a queue of people waiting, I have to say: ‘Sorry, I have got to get moving.' Some customers look at the water and reply, ‘It's miles away - can't you just serve me?'

 

"The ice cream is made to my grandfather's recipe, and we sell it only from our vans - you can't get it at shops or cafés. People come from as far away as Plymouth to buy it. On a busy day, we can sell 50 gallons from the Land Rover alone. But we have never tried to make different flavours because the vanilla so often sells out." (01237 474575, www.hockingsicecream.co.uk).

 

Sarah Talbot-Ponsonby runs Helsett Farm with her daughter, Eila Allen, at Lesnewth, near Boscastle in Cornwall. They make 28 flavours of organic ice cream, using milk from their own Ayrshire cattle, and sell them at venues, such as Watergate Bay near Newquay, from a fleet of vintage trailers and vans, including their 1960s Bedford CF, "Rosie". "When I've been stuck in the dairy all week, it's lovely to go out in the van at weekends. I enjoy looking at the scenery and talking to people who are on their holidays, finding out what they have been doing.

 

"We've had our van ‘Rosie' for 18 years, and we're extremely fond of her, although she does need a fair bit of maintenance. She has been refurbished, but still has her original cooling plates, which are plugged in overnight and stay cold enough to get you through a day's trading. She does have chimes, but I've heard the tune so many times that I have no idea what it's called!

 

"The vintage vans portray the right image for our ice cream: it's handmade, old-fashioned and good quality. We use milk and clotted cream from our own Ayrshire cattle, which gives the ice cream a lovely texture, and we make all our flavourings from scratch, such as fruit purée and butterscotch sauce. Our flagship variety is honey and lavender, but the classics, such as vanilla, chocolate and strawberry, are always popular." (01840 261207, www.helsettfarm.com).

 

Neil Purves has been serving locally made dairy ice cream at Robin Hood's Bay, North Yorkshire, for 16 years. His 1992 Ford Transit is one of a fleet of two vans; the other is manned by his wife, Suzi, further up the coast at Staithes. Suzi and I used to travel a lot, so I wanted a seasonal job that would allow me to get away during the winter. Zoe and Mike Shardlow of Beacon Farm Ice Cream near Whitby were old friends, so I sold my removals company, bought a second-hand van and tendered for the licence to sell their ice creams on the beach. "The tides dictate when I can start and how long I can stay out. On a summer day, I can be out from 7.30am until 9pm. I have never been flooded - the worst thing that happens is when seaweed washes up on the beach and gets covered by sand. If I drive over it, I can get stuck in more than two feet of seaweed, so I have to get the shovel out and dig like mad.

 

"That said, I have one of the best jobs in the world. My ‘office' is a beautiful coastline, and I enjoy seeing the holidaymakers who come back every year and friends from the village who stop by. On the odd Saturday afternoons when I'm washed off by the tide, I play rugby at Whitby, and take the van on to the pitch at half-time.

 

"We have two children now - Chloe, ten, and Harry, eight - so we don't do much travelling. But the children think it's fantastic to have a dad who's an ice cream man: it makes them very popular." (07880 732115; www.robin-hoods-bay.co.uk).

 

Finger-licking good: the best seaside ice cream

 

What to look for

 

The purest ice cream is a frozen custard of milk and/or cream, sugar and eggs, a far cry from the mass-produced mush that is thickened with vegetable fats and whipped with air. To get the real thing, look for natural ingredients and avoid artificial emulsifiers, stabilisers and thickeners, improving "scoopability". Good ice cream has a granular texture and goes rock-hard if frozen. The best British ice cream is often made on farms, and traditional Italian gelato can be found in parlours.

 

Where to buy it

 

Caffi Patio, Llangrannog, Ceredigion (01239 654502).
Mervyn and Julia Palframan share their passion for ice cream at this family-friendly café on Cardigan Bay. Made on site using Welsh whole milk and cream, the best-selling flavours are peach and cherry.

 

Calbourne Classics, Shalfleet, Isle of Wight (01983 531204).
Sea air is the magic ingredient Jill Cawood and her daughters credit with making their ice cream so good. Sold from the farm, farmers' markets, shops and cafés, the orange and Grand Marnier flavour won a Great Taste Award recently.

 

Cream o'Galloway, Rainton, Gatehouse of Fleet, Dumfries and Galloway (01557 814040).
Sticky toffee, vanilla and caramel shortbread are bestsellers at this organic farm, where 30 varieties are made from the milk of 85 Ayrshire cattle.

Harbour Bar, 1-2 Sandside, Scarborough, North Yorkshire (01723 373662).
Knickerbocker glories are de rigueur at this neon and Formica-clad milk bar, opened by the Alonzi family in 1945. Ice cream is available in cones or glass dishes.

 

Treleavens, Looe, Cornwall (01503 220969).
Italian-style ice cream made with Cornish milk and cream - 58 flavours include blue cheese and pear. Buy it at parlours in Looe, Polperro and Tintagel.

Subscribe - SAVE over 50%